The Wall Street Journal’s article Is Your Personality Making You Put on Pounds listed some personality traits that may affect weight gain. Some of the links between personality and weight gain include weight gain in people who are:

Impulsiveness has also been linked to weight gain. The Huffington Post reported, “A 2006 study by Maastricht University of 26 obese children found that the most overweight children were also the most impulsive. Another study, published in 2008 by the University of Alabama, found that obese women had significantly lower impulse control than normal weight women, while a 1976 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition similarly found that obese women were more likely to be “non-conforming and impulsive” than their non-obese peers.”

The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology released a study that studied participants based on the Big Five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. There were a total of 14,531 assessments across the 50 years of the study. Pyschcentral reported that the results showed, “greater weight gain among impulsive people; those who enjoy taking risks; and those who are antagonistic — especially those who are cynical, competitive and aggressive.” ABCLocal reported that this study showed, “that people who are meaner are more likely to gain weight with age. Those considered more conscientious were likely to be leaner.”

A lead researcher from the Institute of Aging, Angelina Sutin, was interviewed by Boomer Health and Life. Sutin stated, “We hope that by more clearly identifying the association between personality and obesity, more tailored treatments will be created. For example, lifestyle and exercise interventions that are done in a group setting may be more effective for extroverts than for introverts.”

WebMD claims that if you know your diet personality, it can help you lose weight. Weight loss plans should be based on whether you are a:

As the New Year approaches, it is common for people to consider making some changes. Whether you are considering body-image changes, obtaining a degree, attempting weight-loss, or trying to reinvent your career, there are some top sites that may offer some help and advice.

This is a great list of resources! I especially liked numbers 3 and 12. I think you’ve covered just about every New Years resolution commonly made–now if only I could be motivated enough to stick to a single resolution throughout the entire year!

Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, have long been associated with having rejected traditional values. Their notions about what they value in terms of their mind and body may not fit the traditional outlook as well. Although they fear cancer and heart disease, it may be a surprise to note that they list “fear of memory loss” as their second biggest concern. Cancer is their first and heart disease their third. This information was obtained from a Strong.com poll by Knowledge Networks of Menlo Park, conducted through interviewing 1078 Baby Boomers.

As boomers age, they aren’t taking care of their health as well as they could. In the article Boomers Losing the Battle of the Bulge, the Arizona Republic reported, “Boomers are more obese than other generations, a new poll says, setting them up for unhealthy senior years. Only half of the obese Boomers say they are regularly exercising.”

Rather than focusing on having a healthy weight, Boomers are working on avoiding dementia. In this same article it was noted, “More than half of Boomers polled say they regularly do mental exercises such as crossword puzzles.”

Marilynn Mobley from Baby Boomer Insights reported, “We boomers live in fear of being diagnosed with Alzheimers. Too many of us have watched our grandparents die with it and some of us are already dealing with parents who are showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Now, there’s evidence that our fear is not unfounded. We boomers are actually now regarded as “Generation Alzheimers.” One out of every eight of us will die with or from the disease. And unlike other common boomer diseases like diabetes, arthritis, and heart conditions, there’s really nothing we can do about it. There’s no cure; in fact, there’s not even a known way to significantly slow the progression of the disease.”

Boomers are not the only ones that fear Alzheimer’s. They may have good reason for this. The Examiner.com recently reported statistics from: The Metlife Foundation survey, What America Thinks. “Recent estimates show more than 26 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s. The number of Americans aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach 7.7 million in 2030 – a greater than 50 percent increase from today because of the aging Baby Boomer population.”

With the upcoming wedding, there is a lot of focus on Kate Middleton. Her interest in France’s Dukan Diet is the buzz. According to Psychology today, this Atkins-like diet, “It is very restrictive and rule-bound (high protein, low calorie), and then eventually gives permission to “eat anything” on six days of the week if you revert to the original guidelines (to basically cut out everything except for lean protein) for one day of the week, ad infinitum.” I’ve tried Atkins-like diets in the past and found that not having carbs not only made me miss them (especially chocolate), but I couldn’t sleep.

There are always new fads out there for dieting. Lately Tracy Anderson’s 30 Day Method has been mentioned quite a bit as well. After hearing that Courtney Cox and Gwyneth Paltrow use her method, I thought I’d get the Anderson book. Although I haven’t had a chance to watch the DVD that came with it, I did look at the daily amounts and types of food that she suggests in it. Although it would be nice to look like Cox or Paltrow, the food choices were very unusual (not much I could even eat because I am picky) and very small in quantity. I will give some attention to her exercise program though as Anderson and her followers do look pretty amazing.

Sometimes these books are fun to read to see what people are doing out there to look perfect. But I think I’ll look a little less perfect and keep to a common sense diet … oh and with a little chocolate thrown in for good measure.

It’s the new year and many have made resolutions to lose weight. There are even more support systems than ever to help people attain their goals. One of the newest technologies that may be of some help are the apps available on iPhones, iPads and other digital devices. Check out some of the most useful apps that could help you attain your fitness goals in 2011:

1. Nikewomen Training Club – This free app helps motivate you to exercise. You can choose workouts and have virtual coaches demonstrate exercises. You can even use your own music to create a soundtrack to work out to from your iTunes library.

2. FitnessClass – Available with 3G or WiFi streams 230 video classes including a boot camp weight-loss session and even yoga. You can choose segments that last from 10 to 60 minutes. Classes range from $3-8 with 30 day class passes.

3. Cardio Training – If you need a pedometer that can utilize your GPS from your phone system, this app is for you. Available free from worksmartlabs, this app also comes with free add-ons for weight loss and resolutions to help with motivation.

4. iPump and FitnessBuilder – This pricier app ($9.99) includes workouts, an exercise database, videos of exercises and the ability to edit your own workouts.